Filecoin Foundation, an independent organization that facilitates governance of the Filecoin network, has partnered with Lockheed Martin Corporation, an American aerospace, arms, defense, information security, and technology corporation, to launch the Interplanetary File System in space.

Filecoin in space?

Filecoin Foundation and Lockheed Martin aim to launch an open-source blockchain network accessible in space, the firms announced in an official blog post as well as in an event hosted on the sidelines of the World Economic Forum’s annual meeting. With the partnership, the two firms plan to identify a satellite or other space-faring platform with the capability of holding technology that can operate an InterPlanetary File System (IPFS) node. 

“Ultimately, by minimizing the number of times that data has to be transmitted to Earth and return to space, IPFS’s decentralized storage model will enable more efficient data transfer and communication in space,” revealed the official blog post from Filecoin Foundation. 

With the usage of IPFS in space, the two firms will be able to monitor the needs of the space-faring platform and “alleviate burdens for the amount of onboard storage capacity for spacecraft exploring planets and other celestial bodies.

Initial steps

By the end of August 2022, Lockheed Martin and Filecoin Foundation will conduct an initial study to identify a spacecraft platform and house the initial IPFS payload. The Foundation also aims to define mutual compatibility requirements for the spacecraft bus and pinpoint opportunities for demonstration missions that harness IPFS’s utility in space.

“If you’re on the Moon, there will be a multi-second delay with every click, as content is retrieved from Earth. Using IPFS, data does not need to go back and forth from Earth with every click,” said Marta Belcher, president, and chair of Filecoin Foundation.